7 Signs It’s Time for You to Consider a New Job

June 20, 2019

1. You’re Living the Status Quo

If you’ve been at the same company and position without any advancement or promotion for the past three years—and you want to continue moving your career forward—it’s time to look elsewhere. Even in a large organization where promotions are tough to come by, you should be able to make some sort of upward movement within this time frame.

2. You Don’t Get Feedback

If your direct manager doesn’t provide feedback on your performance—or the feedback is generic and thus difficult to take action on—it’s pretty tough to learn what it takes to move up within your organization or grow as a professional. The best managers are engaged with your career development and regularly offer advice and guidance—and if yours doesn’t, you owe it to yourself to look elsewhere.

3. You’re Not Learning

If your learning curve has flattened out or you’re really not feeling challenged, this may signal a need to move on. You may not be learning something new every day on the job, but you should be improving upon your core skills and picking up new ones. You often have to take this into your own hands, of course—asking to be involved in a new project, signing up for courses you’re interested in, or attending a relevant conference or seminar in your discipline, for example. But if these possibilities don’t exist at your current job, it’s a sign that the company is not serious about investing in your career development.

4. There’s a Constant Exodus

Do you find yourself going to a colleague’s going-away drinks way too frequently? Does everyone around you seem to be constantly updating their resumes and LinkedIn profiles? When you start noticing a pattern of disgruntled employees (especially the good ones) seeking exits and frequent departures, this usually indicates there are better places to work—and you probably have options. No, I’m not encouraging anyone to blindly follow the herd, but take it as a warning sign, and ask your departing pals why they chose to move on. Their responses may be applicable to your situation as well.

5. There’s Regular Restructuring

If your company is regularly announcing a re-org or shuffling management around, this may indicate leadership issues or a shaky strategic direction. (A friend told me she has had four different bosses in the past year—this can’t be good.) Re-orgs can provide an opportunity to step up and shine; but more often than not, they signal turbulence. And more importantly, they create a challenging environment for your career development needs to get any attention. Your priorities, focus, and progress will inevitably be impacted.

6. Headhunters Want You

Those annoying emails and calls from recruiters may not result in a new job—but don’t ignore them completely. A heavy volume of inbound calls and emails may indicate your industry is “hot” and companies are hiring (read: a great opportunity to move up in position and salary level). I usually consider these conversations as market research to see who’s hiring, what roles and functions are in need, and the average salary range for comparable jobs.

7. It Feels Like Time to Go

Beyond these warning signs, don’t ignore what your gut is telling you. No one knows your work environment better than you do. And if you get the sense that you might be better off somewhere else, heed that inner voice and go exploring.